Tony R Covert

Arizona State University

2/20/16

Teaching Philosophy
I am an aspiring mathematics educator intending to teach mathematical concepts to high school
students in an engaging and relatable manner. To engage students it important that they understand the
importance of the concepts they are learning. They may not be concepts they will be using in 10 years,
but all concepts in mathematics have, and will continue to impact their lives in some way. Throughout
history mathematicians have discovered concepts that have change our understanding of the universe. In
the 21st century these once abstract concepts are now common knowledge, and accessible to billions of
people. The role of a teacher should not be to just present these concepts to students, but to help them
build understanding of these basic concepts and the logic behind them.
Logic is the process of making valid conclusions, based on previous valid conclusions. If students
are just given new concepts, they are robed of the logical process of understanding them. Every student
has previous knowledge formed using, what they believe are, logical conclusions. This why pre-assessing
students is one of the most fundamental parts of teaching mathematics. To effectively direct students
exploration of new concepts, it is important to know what logical/illogical conclusions students have
already made using mathematics. Pre-assessments can take on many forms. Having students write down
what they already know about concept, or having a discussion with students as a class or individually.
Short quizzes on basic concepts of computation and mathematic operations are great to set up much larger
concepts. However, building relationships with students is key to understanding how they perceive, and
think about, the world around them. Then using these observations to present concepts in a way that
engages students to explore, and understand new concepts.
Written post-assessments are important to present evidence of understanding. I do plan on using
formative and summative assessments to assess my own process as a teacher, and see what concepts I
may need to review and present differently. To get the most accurate assessment of the students
understanding; It is important to teach students logic skills, to be able to assess their own thinking, and
solve complex problems in such a manner. Not necessarily using the ridged processes and algorithms
commonly used. Mathematics is not as black and white as many students (and the general population)
believes. Math is a collection of interconnected valid conclusions, with a multitude of paths to the same
conclusion. My goal is to have students leave my class having learned the importance of mathematics,
how to find and process new information through mathematics, as well make logical decisions.